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NiGHTS for Super Smash Bros.

NiGHTS into dreams… is my favorite video game ever. No matter how many hours I put into Pokemon or even Smash Bros., NIGHTS always has that special place for me. Even before Melee came out, well before the start of this blog, I had begun to picture how NiGHTS as a character would function in Smash Bros.

NiGHTS into dreams… is a game about two children who fight to save the world of dreams from the evil forces of Nightmare with the help of a mysterious androgynous dream being, a rebel “Nightmaren” known as NiGHTS. The game evoked a real sense of flight while providing vivid dreamscapes for worlds. Though fairly obscure by today’s standards, you’ll still find people who love the game. For many, it was synonymous with the Sega Saturn, and even the Seha Girls personification of the console has NiGHTS-like features.

The biggest challenge with NiGHTS is that they’re a flight-based character, and I don’t even mean that they “can” fly, as is the case with Kirby or Pit. Rather, NiGHTS’ whole identity revolves around flying, and it’s pretty much the only thing they ever do during gameplay. There’s no walking, running, or jumping—it’s either flying or bouncing into things. Given Smash Bros. and its sumo-style gameplay, that wouldn’t be very fair if left unchecked.

With that in mind, I thought it best if NiGHTS did not have 10 jumps or whatever, and instead would have relatively fewer multi-jumps (4 mid-air jumps, one less than Kirby or Meta Knight) that were supremely maneuverable. As you can see in the upper right hand corner of the image, NiGHTS wouldn’t get just a small bump from each jump, but would be able to make curves, weave in and out, and more, with each successive “jump.” On the ground, NiGHTS would hover, and many moves, as well as their dash, would give NiGHTS a low profile.

NiGHTS as I picture the character is nigh-impossible to edgeguard, especially because all four of their specials are recovery moves, with some packing impressive killing potential, similar to Meta Knight. In exchange, NiGHTS would probably be the lightest character in the game, even lighter than Jigglypuff who’s usually dead last, and would have low damage per hit.

Paraloop involves NiGHTS making a quick loop, though rather than NiGHTS’ body doing damage, it creates a vortex that can suck in opponents, damage them, and even KO at high percents. I decided to localize into a single special move rather than it having a constant presence on-screen, because while it would be an interesting mechanic, it might make NiGHTS too overwhelming in that the character would be able to fight without even pressing the attack buttons.

NiGHTS’ neutral special, Somersault Throw, is an extremely versatile move. A command grab where NiGHTS boosts forward slightly, grabs the opponent, then spins around once and throws them, the tricky element of the move is that NiGHTS can activate the throw portion at any point while holding the opponent. This means that NiGHTS can throw the opponent towards the nearest blast zone, including the bottom of the screen for what is effectively a meteor attack, or into a ledge for a stage spike. Also, just having a command grab that’s so strong makes shielding against the NiGHTS that much more dangerous.

Drill Dash and Dragon Persona (taken from NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams) are more similar to typical recovery moves, but each is unique relative to the other. Drill Dash can be slightly angled similar to Meta Knight’s Drill Rush (though is slightly better this way), while Dragon Persona’s direction can be controlled like Fire Fox/Fire Bird, only with wind-immune properties. This means that, if Mario or another character tries to push NiGHTS to foil their recovery, Dragon Persona can cut straight through it. Neither move is good for KOing, however.

As for Dualize, NiGHTS’ Final Smash, it’s based on the final battle in both NiGHTS games, where both child characters simultaneously fuse with NiGHTS. This would create a clone character that mirrors NiGHTS’ moves, creating difficult traps and greater damage potential. Think of it like Morrigan’s Darkness Illusion super in Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

Not quite a “glass cannon,” NiGHTS would try to out-maneuver the opponent into making a mistake, and then capitalize on it. Overall, NiGHTS would be a graceful character capable of giving any opponent the slip, with a tricky yet effective and surprisingly powerful play style.

For next time, the character I’ll be presenting will be a representative of PC gaming.